PML-Q leader Marvi Memon recently made a few strange comments to “The News.”

In comments to the paper, Ms. Memon demanded Parliament be provided with the list of 9,236 American visas granted by Ambassador Haqqani. She further requested the whereabouts of each and every American citizen in the country. She went on to say Pakistani forces have the right to stop any vehicle for checking. She further accused the Zardari administration of solidifying its power instead of standing up to the US on the issue of a car carrying an American citizen being pulled over for fake license plates.

There are a few things wrong with this train of thought.

1. Firstly, many of the visas issued by the Embassy are issued to Pakistanis who are American citizens. They require visas in order to travel back and forth from their homeland. To imply all of these individuals are in some way a risk to national security is absurd.
2. One cannot help but wonder why the exact whereabouts of every single American citizen is needed by Parliament, or what use Ms. Memon will get out of having this information. It is an Orwellian idea, frightening and full of paranoia.
3. Pakistani police officers do an amazing job trying to keep us safe. They risk their lives every day, and absolutely no one should forget that. In any case a police officer suspects foul play, he should investigate the situation. That is not something up for discussion, by anyone in Pakistan or the US.
4. It should also be noted that issuing visas is not something the Ambassador does. There is a section in the Washington, DC Embassy designated for all visa and consular issues, and it is that bureaucratic system that is at issue here.
5. We in Pakistan have a tendency to personalize everything! It is our Achilles’ heel, and may even be our downfall unless we correct it. As aforesaid, the visas are issued by a completely separate entity – the Consulate – that serves independently of the Ambassador. It would do our people well to do research and at least get the facts straight before trying to score political points over non-issues.